Responsible Sourcing

Responsible Sourcing

Metcash is committed to the responsible sourcing of products sold under our private label brands and continues to raise awareness for responsibly sourcing products within our business and across our independent retailer network.

We are a member of various global organisations focused on the responsible sourcing of products, including the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). This includes working with our suppliers to ensure that 100% of the palm oil used in our private label food products is RSPO-Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO). In FY19 we commenced a review of our non-food private label brands to identify whether they contain any palm oil derivatives.

Metcash is committed to only selling free range eggs under its Community Co private label range and is working in line with industry expectations around sourcing free range eggs for all private label brands. Many of our independent retailers have already taken a strong stance on responsible sourcing and source only free range and cage-free eggs from local producers. Our independent IGA retailer in Warrandyte, Victoria, was the first known grocery store in Australia to only stock cage-free eggs from Australian producers.

We remain committed to the delivery of 100% Forest Stewardship Council certification for all our private label brand toilet paper, tissues and paper towels and continue to work with our suppliers to meet this goal.

Healthier choices and healthier communities

We understand our role in supporting healthy communities through the development and ranging of nutritious products, as well as the provision of useful information to assist people looking to make healthier food choices.

In FY19 we launched more healthy choice options under our Community Co range, including salads, fresh vegetables and snacking options.

Our IGA Family Program provides communities with access to a range of educational resources on how to live a healthier lifestyle, including nutritious recipes and lifestyle education.

The program involves working with various companies to deliver information on health and nutrition, including providing meal recipes and fact sheets for families. Currently we have over 25,000 families registered to the program, which is operating in 600 IGA stores across Australia.

In 2017, the IGA Family Program partnered with the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation to assist schools to establish kitchen garden programs to help children understand how to grow, harvest and cook fresh, healthy food. The program has continued to grow with 40 school kitchen gardens now established across Australia, providing hundreds of school children with the opportunity to grow, harvest and cook fresh, healthy produce.